Pipe and tube cutter.



J. E. SMITH.

PIPE AND TUBE CUTTER.

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J. R. SMITH.

. PIPE AND TUBE CUTTER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1913. 1,1 12,728 Patented Oct. 6, 1914. r 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAMES B. SMITH, OF MECHANICSVILLE, NEW YORK.

PIPE AND TUBE CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

Application filed September 2 1913. Serial No. 787,678.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mechanicsville, county of Saratoga, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe and Tube Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pipe and tube cutters. I

The invention has for its objects, first, the provision of a pipe and tube cutter having an improved automatic feeding means, whereby, as the tool is operated, successively deeper cuts are made; second, an improved hand feeding means whereby the cutters may be initially adjusted or adjusted while the cutting operation is progressing; third, a novel combination'of improved hand and automatic feeding means either of which may be used; fourth, improved means for cushioning the tension of the cutters on the pipe or tube to compensate for any irregularities of the latter during the cutting operation; fifth, improved reversible pawls for the pawl and ratchet feeding means, where by the parts may be arranged in feeding or non-feeding relation or in neutral position or so that either a right or a left turn may be utilized in operating the tool.

An embodiment of the invention adapted to carry out the foregoing objects and illustrating the mode of operation of the invention is set forth hereinafter, but is to be considered as illustrative, rather than restrictive, of the scope of the invention, as

modifications may be resorted to.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective of the invention applied to a pipe or tube; Fig. 2, longitudinal section with the chain of cutters broken away; Fig. 3, a cross section on line 33, Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, a cross section on line 44, Fig. 2.

The cutter block or head 1 is closed at one end 2 and provided with a removable, suitably secured, plate 3 at its opposite end. This block or head has parallel lower sides 4L and is open at its bottom. At one end the head is provided with ears 5 which have curved channels 6 on their inner faces. Ears 7 rise from the cutter block or head 1 An operating lever S is provided with an ear 9 which has trunnions 10 that are pivoted in the ears '7, said ear 9 lying between ears 7. Opposite ends of this lever are internally threaded to receive operating handles 11,

whereby the entire cutter is operated in mak-' ing the cut in the tube or pipe and, if desired, is utilized to automatically feed the cutting means tomake successively deeper cuts, as will appear presently.

Journaled in the ends 2 and 3 is a feed screw 12 to which is secured or keyeda hand wheel 13, whereby the screw may be turned by hand to effect a hand adjustment of the cutting means.

Screwed on the opposite end of the feed screw 12 is a nut 14. Loose on a blank portion 15 of the feed screw is a ball bearing 16. Tnterposed between the ball bearing and the nut 14:;lS a relatively heavy coil spring 17 which acts as a cushion for the tension of the chain of cutters so that if any irregularity on the tube or pipe is encountered by a cutter, said spring will yield and prevent any breakage of the )arts or the throwing of the cutters out o the desired plane of operation or out of the cut.

An internally screw-threaded wheel block 18 is engaged with the feed screw and slides within the cutter block or head 1 in one direction or the other according to how said feed screw may be revolved. The wheel block has a neck portion 19 which engages the parallel lower side 4: and is thus guided in its movements when being fed by the screw. The lower part of the cutter block is bifurcated and in said bifurcation is located the cutter 20 which is carried by pin 21, the latter passing through the wheel block and being connected to the links 22. The remaining cutter mechanism consists of a chain of links like the links 22 and cutters 23 like the cutter 20, certain of the pins 24 which form the joints for the links and the journals for the cutters, projecting so that any of them may be entered in the grooves 6 of the ears 5 to take up or let out the chain of cutters toany desired extent after they have been applied to the pipe or tube and preliminary to a rough adjustment which may be obtained by turning the hand wheel 13.

Loosely splined at 25 to the feed screw 12' is a ratchet wheel 26 which affords means for turning the feed screw without interfering with the slippage therethrough of the latter. The ratchet wheel is loosely incased in an operating head 27 which has alined slots 28 in opposite faces thereof through which the screw 12 loosely passes. The operating head is pivoted at 29 to the operating lever 8, whereby any rocking or movement of said lever causes a corresponding movement of the operating head. Interposed between the hand wheel 13 and the operating head is a spring 30 and a cup washer 31, the latter bearing against the head 27, the function of which, in connection with the pivotal connection 29, is to atlord suificient play or looseness to the head 97 to compensate for the rockiijig movements of the lever 8 and for any longitudinal moven'ient of the feed screw 12 caused by the actuating action of the spring 17.

The operating head 27 is provided with bearings which receive pawls Preferably these hearings and the pawls are cylindrical, the pawls being provided'with inclined-faces 3a and relatively sharp edges The heads of the pawls have crossed or intersecting grooves 36. The arrangement of the pawls is such that they may be turned either 90 or 180 to bring the sharp teeth 35 in the plane of the ratchet whee which is the neutral position and leaves the ratchetwheel tree, or, to dispose the said teeth crosswise of the ratchetwheel so that they will engage the teeth of the latter, such arrangement ofthe pawls being as shown in 41-, where the ratchet wheel may revolve. in a clockwise direction, or, the pawlsmay be completely reversed from the posi tion-shown in F t so that the ratchet wheel may revolve in" a counter'clocimvise direction. Thus, the cuttermay be operated either right or left or the automatic ope 'ating mechanism be rendered ineffective and neutral, permitting the feed. screw 12 to be turned only by the hand wheel 13.

To look the pawls in whatever position they may be set, I provide latches 37 pivoted to the head 27 at 38 and connected by a coil spring 39. The ends of the latches can be raised and the pawls set, as desired, and said ends then allowed to fall into the groove 36 which is in line therewith. I am aware that other means could. be provided for spring actuating the paw-ls and for preventing them from turning and I do not limit myself to the precise retaining means disclosed.

To apply the cutter to a pipe or tube, a section of which is shown at to in Fig. 1, the chainof cutters is disconnected from the ears 5. and passed around the pipe or tube and the pins 24: engaged in the recesses or grooves 6, giving a preliminary adjustment of thecutters. The hand wheel 13 may now be turned to rotate the feed screw 12 and adjust the wheel block to bring the cutters 20, 23, against the pipe or tube 40. The bandlesll are then grasped and the entire tool rocked on the pipe or tube. During this rocking movement, the lever 8 turns with the trunnions 10 and the operating head 27 is shifted in relation to the ratchet Wheel,

18 lengthwise of the cutter block 1.

of the lever 8 such motion being transmitted through one of the pa-wls to the ratchet wheel and through the ratchet wheel to the feed screw 12, which by turning, feeds the wheel block Consequently a successively deeper cut is made in the pipe or tube 40. lit the automatic teed is not desired, tie pawls are placed in the neutral position and hence the rocking does not turn theratchet wheel. The feed of the cutters, in deepening the. cut, may then be effected by turning the hand wheel 13. It thecuttei".encounter any irregularity in the pipe or tube, the jar is cushioned by the spring 17, the feed screw meanwhile shitting longitudii'ially.

The adjustability ot the wheel block 18 does not disturb the regularlty of the c1rcular arrangement of the cutters 23 when they are engaged with the pipe or tube, inasmuch as saidblock 18 carries the cutter 20 which also bears on the pipe or tube. Furthermore,

the cutting system, being articulated, auto matically adjusts itself to the pipe or tube once the chain has been applied thereto. The adjustability'of the chain of cutters permits use on pipes or tubes of: varlous diameters.

Having thus described my invention, what T claim as new and desire to secure by Let- ;ters Patent, is:

1. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination with a cutter head, of a bodily and lon udinally shiftable teed screw carried .l thei eby, cutters having a screw-tl'ireaded block engaged by the feed screw, and a. cushion coiiperating with the feed screw.

2. lln apipe and tube cutter, the combination with a cutter head, of a bodily and longitudinally shittable t ed screw carried thereby, a block having screw-threads engaged by the feed screw and guided by said head, said block being adapted for adjustment by said feed screw, means for turning the feed screw, a cushion cooperating with said teed screw, and a chain of cutters connected to the block and to the head.

3. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination of a cutter head which is bodily sl-ii-ttable as an entirety, a cutting device bodily shiftable with said cutter head, adjusting means cooperating with the cutting device for causing it to make successively deeper cuts, and operating means common to the head and cutting device adapted for both bodily shifting the said head and ad j usting the cutting device.

4. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination with a cutter head, of a cutting device, said cutter head and cutting. device being bodily shittable together as an entirety, adjusting means on the head for adjusting said cutting device, means for bodily turning said cutter head, selectiveadapted, when set for use, to automatically operate said adjusting means, whereby the cutting device is caused to make successively deeper cuts as the cutter head is turned, and means for manually operating said adjusting means independently of the aforesaid automatic operation thereof by the manipulating means.

5. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination with a movable cutter head, of a cutting device carried thereby, said cutter head and cutting device being bodily shittable together as an entirety, adjusting means on the head for adjusting said cutting device, a rockable lever mounted on the bodily shiftable cutter head adapted for shifting said head and cutting device as an entirety, and means operated by said rockable lever cooperating with said adjusting means whereby the cutting device is automatically caused to make successively deeper cuts when the lever is rocked.

6. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combi nation with a movable cutter head, of a cutting device carried thereby, said cutter head and cutting device being bodily shiftable together as an entirety, adjusting means on the head for adjusting said cutting device, a rockable lever mounted on the movable cutter head, and pawl and ratchet mechanism operated by said lever and adapted to operate the adjusting means aforesaid, said lever being employed both for turning the movable cutter head and for automatically adjusting said cutting device when the cutter head and cutting device are bodily shifted.

7. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination with a cutter head and a cutting device carried thereby, said head and cutting device being bodily shiftable together as an entirety carried by the head which is adapted for adjusting the cutting device, a ratchet wheel for turning said screw, movable operating means carried by the cutter head adapted for turning said head, and

pawl mechanism operated by said operating means adapted for cooperation with said ratchet wheel when the cutter head and cutting device are bodily shifted.

8. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination with a cutter head, of a chain of cutters, a feed screw carried by the head which is adapted for adjusting the chain of cutters, a ratchet wheel for turning said screw, a rockable lever carried by said head, an operating head pivotally connected to the lever, and pawls carried by said head adapted to cooperate. with said ratchet wheel.

9. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination with a cutter head, of a longitudinally shiftable feed screw carried thereby, a chain of cutters adapted for adjustment by the feed screw, a cushion cooperating with the feed screw a ratchet wheel splined to said feed screw, a manipulating device carried by the cutter head, an operating head connected to the manipulating device, and pawl mechanism carried by the operating head and cooperating with the ratchet wheel.

10. In a pipe and tube cutter, the combination with a cutter head, of a cutter, means for adjusting the cutter, a ratchet wheel for operating said adjusting means, a movable manipulating device carried by the cutter head, an operating head connected to said manipulating device, and settable pawls carried by said operating head and adapted to engage the ratchet wheel, said pawls being adapted to be arranged or set to permit free turning of the ratchet wheel in either direction or entire freedom of said ratchet wheel.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. SMITH.

/Vitnesses:

G. E. WANDELL, STEPHEN LEE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

